On Tuesday the court heard that former president Nelson Mandela also offered to "extinguish" Zuma's debt because he feared that Zuma's financial problems were "distracting him from his duties at the ANC".

As a matter of curiosity, I should like to see the man 'extinguish' himself by stepping forward and telling us in plain English language, had he been a member of the Legislature, would he have voted against the people expressing their opinion upon the subject.

If the petition reaches that stage, the committee must decide whether to submit a bill to the legislature that would "extinguish" the HST and pay back all the extra money collected under it, or stage a province-wide referendum on the measure.